KU News Release

KU appoints Fred Pawlicki permanent executive director of Continuing Education

LAWRENCE — Two Continuing Education appointments announced today reinforce the University of Kansas’ commitment to offering robust statewide educational opportunities for working adults.

Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Richard Lariviere has named Fred Pawlicki, interim executive director of Continuing Education since May 2006, to the position on a permanent basis. Also today, Pawlicki named Jim Long, vice provost for facilities planning and management, to a new position at Continuing Education: director for outreach development.

Both appointments are effective immediately.

“Fred Pawlicki has a big vision of delivering innovative learning opportunities to working professionals in Kansas and throughout the world,” Lariviere said. “He is passionate about making KU Continuing Education known for its high-quality workforce development programs and distance-learning initiatives.”

Pawlicki said the division’s talented staff had enabled the organization to expand its offerings. In the past year, more than 75,000 people, including residents of all 105 Kansas counties, 50 U.S. states and 49 countries, took courses in law enforcement, fire and rescue, public management, medical, life sciences, independent study, aerospace engineering and several other disciplines.

“By partnering with the KU School of Engineering and other KU academic units, Continuing Education offers a great educational menu with programs, such as aerospace engineering short courses, that are provided worldwide,” Pawlicki said. “Our public management certification courses in southwest Kansas and engineering management courses are just two of the growing array of programs we provide for working professionals and as on-site training for industry.”

In the outreach development post, Long will survey statewide workforce training needs in towns throughout Kansas and recommend programs and services Continuing Education can tailor to communities.

“Jim has a wealth of experience in budget, facility management, finance and administration and a history of working with chambers or commerce and civic bodies,” Pawlicki said. “He has been a governor’s appointee to the Kansas Fire Safety Training Commission and is on the board for the K-10 Corridor Development Association. Jim is a perfect fit for this job.”

Before joining Continuing Education, Pawlicki was interim director of the Spencer Museum of Art from 2004 to 2005, interim executive director of the Lied Center from 2000 to 2001, associate director of the Lied Center from 2001 to 2006 and director of operations for the Lied Center from 1992 to 2001. Previous to his KU positions, Pawlicki was director of operations for the Kansas Expocentre in Topeka.

A native of Newton, Long became KU’s vice provost for facilities planning and management in 1999. He previously was associate vice chancellor for student affairs and director of the Kansas Union from 1994 to 1999 and director of the Kansas and Burge unions from 1983 to 1994. Before joining KU, Long was associate director of the University Union at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and assistant director and program director of the Memorial Union at Emporia State University.

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